Refueling: TSN badmouths the UOC priest from Morozovka

Morozovka "under the gun" of TSN. Production of 27.01.20. Photo: screen video

“He refused to serve a memorial service for the dead Ukrainian warrior, drove away the fighter’s mother out of the church, and called her son Denis Popovich, who died near the Donetsk airport, a fratricide,” the journalists of “1+1” TV channel told about the situation in Morozovka, Baryshevka district, Kiev region, where supporters of the OCU, who have reached a new level of struggle for the local Holy Assumption temple, are trying to denigrate the rector, clergyman of the Boryspil Diocese of the UOC, Archpriest Nikolai Brega.

In the TSN story of January 27, comments of the mother of the Ukrainian warrior Denis Popovich, who died in 2015, whose "pride for the son of a hero is defamed by none other than the priest," and representatives of the local community of the OCU were given.

“He called her a “schismatic”, he said that “I will not serve a lity service for the dead for my killer-brother,” adherents of the newly formed church structure assure.

At the same time, Father Nikolai, who is charged with all these accusations, explained to reporters that there was nothing like this and could not be, “Never ever would I do such a thing! I commemorate Denis in each memorial prayer!”

The story also emphasized that the clergyman “is afraid that (the temple – Ed.) will be stormed” and “recently arranged security at the church so that the villagers who support the accession of the village church to the OCU cannot get there.”

“But people are ready to continue to fight for their truth without hassles. The service was held on the street, and when it became cold – in one of the rural huts. Then they went to the banquet room. But when faced with an insult to Ukrainian soldiers – they could no longer tolerate that, no longer be silent. (...) When recalling the insults she heard about her son, Nadezhda cannot hold back her tears, but she does not wish evil to the priest. Instead, the OCU community plans to build a new temple of their own, the Ukrainian one. On the land plot which the village council promises to allocate to the family of the hero of the Ukrainian-Russian war Denis Popovich. We are just waiting for permission, because the documents were submitted more than six months ago,” TSN said.

Recall that earlier the rector of the Holy Assumption temple in Morozovka, Archpriest Nikolai Brega, denied all the allegations against him. He believes that what is happening may be due to the desire of supporters of the OCU, whom the mother of the deceased Denis Popovich recently joined, to take the church away from the UOC community. “I have many photographs showing that I had repeatedly performed the memorial service at her son’s grave at her request for over three years,” said the Archpriest. “I also held services on May 9th: we would go with her to the grave before a general meeting near the monument. Members of the church choir, members of the community can confirm this. Everyone knows about it, everyone has seen it, and this is true. I have never turned down a request for prayer and never called Denis a 'fratricide'. This is an absolute lie framed up by her."

As reported by the UOJ, on July 8, 2019, Archpriest Nikolai Brega and parishioners from Morozovka village of Baryshevka district, Kiev region, who had previously backslid into schism, repented and expressed their desire to return to the fold of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. After that, supporters of the OCU began to commit various provocations in relation to the believers of Morozovka. This state of affairs continues to this day.

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